1. Technical Field
This invention is related to leak detection systems for hot water heaters, and more particularly to a leak detection and management system including a programmable message device for providing an audible message informing of the occurrence of a water leak in a hot water heater and where to obtain service for correcting the leaking condition of the hot water heater.
2. Discussion
Hot water heaters are used in a wide variety of applications, and particularly in residential homes to provide hot water for washing and bathing. Such hot water heaters typically include a relatively large tubular hot water tank, a cold water supply conduit for supplying cold water into the tank, a gas supply line for supplying natural gas or the like to a heating unit disposed within the tank which operates to heat the cold water supplied to the tank, and a conduit leading out of the hot water tank for supplying the heated water to various areas of a home or other like dwelling.
Since the volume of water which can be held within the hot water tank is substantial, even a small leak in the tank, or in a temperature and pressure relief valve which is typically included with such hot water heaters, can cause significant damage and expense to property, if undetected quickly. Prior art systems attempting to manage water leaks occurring in hot water heaters have suffered from a number of drawbacks. Principally, these drawbacks have centered around the inability of such prior art devices to provide adequate warning and notice to home owners or other occupants of the dwelling that a water leak condition has occurred, and where to obtain service for the hot water heater. Prior art systems attempting to address this problem have furthermore been of relatively complex designs often necessitating significant additional complexity and significant additional cost to implement.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide a leak detection and management system including some means for providing an audible warning message to a home owner or other occupant, in addition to a message as to where service can be obtained, which can be easily integrated with conventional hot water heaters to notify occupants of dwellings that a leak in a hot water heater has occurred.
Such a system as described above would immediately apprise occupants that a water leak has occurred, and would further enable such occupants to immediately contact qualified and trained service personnel, thereby minimizing the inconvenience associated with the repair of the hot water heater. This would significantly reduce the inconvenience to occupants by insuring that occupants would be notified of a water leak immediately upon the occurrence of same, and thus be able to contact service personnel quickly.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a water leak detection and management apparatus having a programmable message device for providing an audible message that a water leak has occurred with a hot water heater and where to obtain service for same.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a water leak detection and management apparatus, including a programmable message device, which apparatus can be easily connected with virtually all conventional hot water heaters presently in production, with no modification to the hot water heater itself and minimal modification to its corresponding water and gas supply lines.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a water leak detection and management apparatus including a programmable message device, where the programmable message device includes a magnetic recording medium such as a cassette tape, which can easily and quickly be preprogrammed to provide a suitable warning message informing of a water leak condition and where to obtain service for same.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a water leak detection and management apparatus including a programmable message device, where the apparatus is relatively inexpensive to construct and install, and utilizes well known, commercially available components in its construction.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a water leak detection and management apparatus including a programmable message device, which apparatus is operable to collect water leaking from a hot water heater and to drain the water to either a nearby drain such as a floor drain, or to a remotely located drain, or simultaneously to both the nearby and remotely located drains, to thereby enable the collection and draining of large amounts of water leaked from a hot water heater during a catastrophic leak situation.